Bandai Hi Metal R Macross VF-1J Valkyrie with GBP-1S Armor
Well, it’s been a while since Bandai made any new toys for the original Macross series (Yamato and then Arcadia had it for a decade or so). But it’s back with a blast! An entirely new-scaled figure series, complete with villain mechs.
There are two ways for the figure to hold the rifle, the usual “peg in hole” way and the alternative, molded hand and gun handle way, for better aesthetics.
Be mindful of the arm assembly clips. Mine tended to pop out a lot from handling it to do poses (the shoulder joints are tight). In fairness, it won’t pop off easily, or by itself, and it doesn’t feel loose, but it’s better to be careful about it.
Rifle can be clipped onto forearms
The figure only comes with a “rifle-bracing” left hand, meaning you can’t do the reverse of how this figure holds his gun in this photo (eg. left hand is holding the trigger, right hand holding the barrel).
Hip/ groin joints can slide out to allow for wider range of motion in the legs.
Personally I do wish the figure was a bit smaller, to fit in with SOC/SRCs, but I guess this will do (compared to the old 12″ ones . )
Gerwalk Mode
Valkyrie Mode
Landing gears needs to be “equipped”. Wheels DO NOT roll.
Removable nosecone (needs to be removed before equipping the GBP-1S Armor)
The GBP-1S Ground-Combat protector armor system
The armor first appeared in episode 9 of the TV series.
Larger “clip-on” plastic feet are included to make the proportions look better. 
However, as cool as the armor is, I am a bit disappointed that the armor isn’t quite complete. Bandai did a bit of a cheat, as there’s no back portion to the armor, unlike in the vintage toys. I guess it’s a way of cutting down costs and the effect is hardly seen unless you look at it from a few select angles. Ah well…
Also, just like the vintage toy, the figure is hardly poseable from the waist down, which is understandable, due to the bulkiness of the armor in the hip sections.
Missiles locked and loaded!!!
Missile count
– 56 x 28-cm-diameter Erlikon GH-32 Grenade Crusher high maneuverability micro-missiles (22 mounted in two shoulder launchers, 10 mounted in two chest launchers, 16 mounted in four side leg launchers, 8 mounted in four rear leg launchers)
– 18 x Erlikon GA-100 Crusher high-speed armor-penetrating projectiles (mounted in two lower arm launchers)
– 6 x Ramington H-22T large hand grenades (mounted on upper legs)
It’s pretty cool that Bandai included the option to make the armor look as if it has fired all it’s missiles, by simply swapping the missile plates and removing the missiles from the forearms and lower legs.
Quick notes:
-Figure stands roughly 6.25″ (counting antennae) and weighs 70 Grams and 170 Grams (GBP Armor equipped)
-Diecast parts include the inner joints, the elbows, sections of the transformation “spine”, and the feet.
-While the figure does host a lot of diecast, I sort of wish the pegs for the hands were diecast too.
-Wings can be swapped around. The ones with the peg connectors for the missile pods in Valkyrie mode. While the other type is for the Battroid mode, to keep the design smooth-looking.
-Reserve antennae included (in case you break the default pair)
Overall, not too shabby. There are a few letdowns for me (lack of back parts of the armor, non-rolling landing gears, parts swapping). But there’s no denying that this is a very excellent looking Macross Valkyrie toy. The proportions look good in all modes (thanks to the parts swapping) and the level of detail that went into making the toy is superb.
The best part is the price. This much (plus diecast parts!) for roughly 100 USD is too good to pass up if you’re a fan of the original Macross series.
Gold
